golden girl
About an hour or so away from home on the return leg of the epic whirlwind trip to the coast last month, I got the sneaking suspicion that there would be a new dog in our world when I arrived home. This is who greeted me when we pulled into the driveway: Goldie. Her family has been unemployed and they could no longer afford to feed her. She was with us on a trial basis over the Thanksgiving weekend.
She isn't exactly the long-haired puppy that we were looking for, that could be a year-round outdoor dog that we would train to be a farm dog, protecting both the animals and ourselves, that could be a door bell of sorts, letting us know when someone comes down the drive or when a predator is about.
She is eight years old and her favorite spot is with her chin on the hearthstones, nose only inches from the woodstove. At night she's in our bedroom lying on anything soft she can find, preferably a bag of laundry or a quilt or pillow that's slipped off the edge of the bed, but any old sock will do, too. I've found her lying in a square of sunshine on a big sheet of paper, like a cat.
At first I had to ply her with treats to get her to follow me on my rounds to the shop and barn after dark feeding animals and gathering eggs. During the day she's getting used to being outside, is putting on a warmer coat, and actually appears to enjoy it now. She hasn't needed a collar and leash to keep her around at all, although we did use them for the first week.
If we leave her alone inside for even a few minutes she's on the bed or couch, but she'll never do that with us around. That's the worst she's done. She's an absolute sweetheart and everybody who meets her falls instantly in love. I know I did when I opened the car door and met her that night.
Although, I keep wanting to call her Ruby.
Still on the lookout for a puppy friend for her...
golden girl
About an hour or so away from home on the return leg of the epic whirlwind trip to the coast last month, I got the sneaking suspicion that there would be a new dog in our world when I arrived home. This is who greeted me when we pulled into the driveway: Goldie. Her family has been unemployed and they could no longer afford to feed her. She was with us on a trial basis over the Thanksgiving weekend.
She isn't exactly the long-haired puppy that we were looking for, that could be a year-round outdoor dog that we would train to be a farm dog, protecting both the animals and ourselves, that could be a door bell of sorts, letting us know when someone comes down the drive or when a predator is about.
She is eight years old and her favorite spot is with her chin on the hearthstones, nose only inches from the woodstove. At night she's in our bedroom lying on anything soft she can find, preferably a bag of laundry or a quilt or pillow that's slipped off the edge of the bed, but any old sock will do, too. I've found her lying in a square of sunshine on a big sheet of paper, like a cat.
At first I had to ply her with treats to get her to follow me on my rounds to the shop and barn after dark feeding animals and gathering eggs. During the day she's getting used to being outside, is putting on a warmer coat, and actually appears to enjoy it now. She hasn't needed a collar and leash to keep her around at all, although we did use them for the first week.
If we leave her alone inside for even a few minutes she's on the bed or couch, but she'll never do that with us around. That's the worst she's done. She's an absolute sweetheart and everybody who meets her falls instantly in love. I know I did when I opened the car door and met her that night.
Although, I keep wanting to call her Ruby.
Still on the lookout for a puppy friend for her...